When "Reaper" launched on the CW this fall, it had a number of things going for it. First, it was one of the two best freshman pilots (along with "Pushing Daisies") and it seemed intent on giving the CW more national attention (coupled with "Aliens in America," another good sitcom). Kevin Smith directed the pilot and established "Reaper" in a familiar, but difficult, genre, the thriller/comedy, perhaps best exemplified by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

In a season with precious few new shows of merit, "Reaper" was going to stand out.

So what happened? Well, it's still quite good. Probably the best show on the CW. Particularly, in the past few episodes, the series has started to find its stride. Unfortunately, the series is already seven episodes deep; the eighth airs Tuesday (9 p.m., Channel 44, Channel 12 on cable). "Reaper" has never equaled the excellence of its pilot, and, in many cases, the show has been its own worst enemy as it flailed to get the mix of thrills and laughs just right.

The premise is inspired: On his 21st birthday, Sam (Bret Harrison) discovers that his parents previously sold his soul to the Devil (Ray Wise) and the Devil is here to collect. He wants to make Sam his bounty hunter in the earthly realm, returning "lost souls" who have escaped hell back to where they came from. Sam is aided in this pursuit by two of his co-workers at their Home Depot-like place of employment, the Work Bench. They are best friend and wild jokester Sock (Tyler Labine) and the more practical Ben (Rick Gonzalez). Sam is partly distracted in his duties by longtime friend, co-worker and potential love interest Andi (Missy Peregrym). But the Devil is always calling because there's an overflow in hell that Sam needs to help contain. He's given a "vessel" - a mixture of common objects from a vacuum to a sweater - that he must figure out how to use to capture the lost souls. He then brings them to what the Devil calls a "portal to hell," which was detailed in the pilot as "any place that seems like hell on earth," like the DMV.

Now, in a TV season that has suddenly become all about the Writers Guild of America strike, attempting to fix a series that may soon run out of episodes or go into reruns may seem a bit pointless. But "Reaper" is worth the effort, so here's how it can be fixed:

-- More of the Devil. Wise instantly became one of the best characters on television when he nearly stole the pilot. Wisecracking and sardonic in a three-piece suit, he's a smiling charmer who periodically has to flex his demonic side to prompt Sam to stop being a slacker and get the job done. The writers need to flesh him out more (recently they have, with his disdain for Halloween and hints that he may have been in love once). Anything to give Wise more screen time would help immensely. And give him more cutting lines. Charming and jaded and funny - that's what he's best at. Tighten up his dialogue.

-- Fix the Sam and Andi relationship. This was a boondoggle that hurt the first four or five episodes. She wanted to see him yet he was perpetually late to dates because of his bounty hunter duties, but he couldn't tell her about his curse/calling. Well, why not? Sock and Ben already knew and joined Sam on his demon hunting. The whole can't-tell-Andi element was forced and nonsensical. Then the writers awkwardly addressed it by having the Devil say that Andi can never know; those who are not in his employment could meet dangerous fates. Uh, really? A little late for that, right? To have her out of the loop as just a friend wasn't very well thought out. Forget trying to distance yourself from "Buffy." The parallels can't be avoided and nobody cares about the connections. Just go with it. But if Andi's not in the club, this will forever be clumsy.

-- Mix it up. Only recently - and only once - has this series veered off formula (an episode started in the heat of capturing a lost soul, which normally comes in the last 15 minutes). "Reaper" may be a thriller (though it's almost never scary) and it may be a comedy (that could be sharpened as well), but, ultimately, it's a procedural. Sam gets a weird hint. The Devil shows up. Sam gets annoyed. Sam gets no other clues from the Devil. Sam gets a vessel. Sam figures out where the escaped soul is. Sam - and friends, but not Andi - capture the demon. They return it to the DMV.

That needs to be tweaked. Later episodes seem to be trying to break out but the first four or so really bogged down in formula. And why take one of the pilot's great jokes - whatever place feels like hell on earth really is hell on earth - and limit it to the DMV? No doubt viewers thought there would be portals to hell all over the place: mall parking lots, long lines virtually anywhere, a fabric store. Come on, a little creativity here would be greatly appreciated. No doubt the biggest drain on the potential we all saw in "Reaper" was how quickly it became formulaic and sadly uninspired. Wake up.

-- Quicken the pace. These episodes, like those on "Buffy," are an hour each. And even with the CW's huge commercial blocks, there seems to be either a lot of filler in "Reaper" or wasted opportunity. Maybe Smith's directing needs to return. There are too many static moments, whether they be those nowhere interactions with Andi (another reason she should be in on it), forays into storylines involving the parents (by the way, where's Sam's brother from the pilot?) or moments spent watching Sam be a sad sack. More action, quicker banter - why not more jokes from Sock? - and less standing around. Also, more Ted (Sam's boss). Much more Ted.

-- Better, more clever writing. Easier said than done, of course. And the dialogue has improved of late. But there was more snap in the pilot (mostly from Labine, whose Sock character jumped off the screen). It's like the writers on "Reaper" are wasting precious opportunity (that the strike may now have snatched from them). But thinking positively and moving forward, let's see the Devil, Sock and Ted start firing off some gems. And is it really necessary to have one joke about homophobia per episode? Really? Be better than that.

"Reaper" is still a solid series, mostly entertaining. But the pilot was exceptional. It has taken the writers too long to find a direction while they got stuck in the formula and in the contrived rules about Sam and Andi, all at the expense of at least three characters ripe for better dialogue. This is still an underdog show on an underdog network, so - strike or not - it's worth rooting for. But underachieving? That's just not acceptable.